I have one eye with impeccable vision, the other whose peripheral vision is quite good, but the central portion has been impacted by a tear in the vitreous, creating gross distortion. A vitrectomy was unsuccessful in solving that issue, so that eye is useless for reading. So when I felt slight pressure appearing to present at the back of my one good eye on the week-end, I didn't think too much of it until I noticed what appeared to be a blister on the lower left eyelid and realized it was that which was responsible for the pressure I felt.

I immediately thought of shingles, having gone through a bout of it once, about four years earlier and it was an absolute horror of an experience, one I would not the least appreciate re-experiencing. Knowing too that shingles can be dangerous to eyesight if it is sited proximate to the eyes, I resolved that as soon as I could, I'd see my doctor. It was Saturday of a long week-end and I preferred not to go to a health clinic. On Tuesday morning I was given an appointment for that day at 1:30 p.m. My doctor didn't think it was shingles but operating on caution prescribed a powerful anti-viral medication. Amazingly, mere days after I'd first noted the presence of that 'blister' on the eyelid, it began to subside and I thought how wonderful modern medicine is.

To be on the safe side, however, my doctor insisted I have an appointment at the Eye Institute. The very next morning there was a call from the Institute informing me of an appointment that very day at 1:15 p.m. Two young ophthalmologists examined me carefully, after having taken exhaustive notes of my eye history, my symptoms and what they were able to observe, through the use of a battery of tests and electronic devices. Coming to the conclusion that nothing ocular was involved, but that tiny ducts in my eyelids might have become obstructed causing a backup of the normal moisture that emanates from them, ensuring that the eyeballs never dry; an eye-health-critical natural protocol.

I'll return in two weeks' time for another final check just to ensure that the condition has cleared. Which it already has started to do; the single 'blister' appearing now to be scarcely noticeable, although two days earlier it looked as though it was spreading, and the area under the eye was notably swollen and alarmingly red. At the present time I look almost normal; my personal panic subsided.

The doctors were young, professional, sweetly attendant, and genuinely concerned. Encouraging me should anything appear untoward in the future, I should be just as vigilant, and turn to their expertise in examination, diagnosis and prescribed solutions at any time; that's what they're there for, they emphasized. From the receptionists to the nurses, busy as only a community hospital can be, to the doctors who staff that necessary monument to compassionate civility and health care, they have no peers.

Instant attention to a suddenly presenting condition that appears to confound and frighten. Top-notch medical care, as needed, when needed. Canada's universal health care system is quite simply the absolute best.